Avatar Program: Extended
by redcloudedleopard
Summary: STORY PUT ON HOLD. The Avatar Program's aims are interacting with the Na'vi, to building a stellar bomb using Unobtanium to reignite the Sun. PLEASE READ & REVIEW.
1. Overview

***PLEASE READ & REVIEW***

CHARACTERS LISTED & THE STORYLINE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE IF NEEDED.

_The crew of a spacecraft is on a dangerous mission. With the Earth in peril from the dying Sun, the crew is sent to resettle and try to find a new home for humankind on Pandora, an Earth-like moon in a distant planetary system._

_Humans are engaged in mining Pandora's reserves of a precious mineral to reignite the Sun with a massive stellar bomb (which they are building on the planet). Another problem lies in corresponding with the Na'vi — the alien race of indigenous to Pandora — who resist the humans' expansion. A team is all strapped up for the Avatar Program, each member specially chosen to drive a remotely controlled, genetically engineered human-Na'vi body to play a part in interacting with the Na'vi._

AVATAR DRIVERS:

From the original "Avatar":

Jake Sully

Norm Spellman

Dr. Grace Augustine

From "Sunshine":

Mace

Cassie

Robert Capa

Corazon

Dr. Searle

Harvey

Captain Kaneda

Trey

NA'VI:

Neytiri

Tsu'tey

Mo'at

Eytukan

Peyral

OTHER:

Max Patel

Tom Sully

Trudy Chacon

VILLAINS:

Colonel Miles Quadritch

Captain Pinbacker

Notes:

- Mace (also an ex-marine) will be Jake Sully's fiercely loyal best friend who has been with him since the fighting in Venezuela. Jake's act of saving Mace from a fatal attack results in Jake being paralyzed from the waist down. Thus, Mace feels strongly how much he owes his friend & sticks around to help him through thick & thin.

- The Avatar Drivers have increased in number!!! :o I'm giving it a go using all the cast from Sunshine.

- There will be a love triangle between Norm, Cassie & Capa.

- Peyral who was mentioned by Neytiri in the film is Neytiri's closest companion in this fic.


	2. Sights for Sore Eyes

_One life ends. Another begins._

Jake hadn't smiled once that day. He wheeled himself down a rather broad corridor, teeming with busy people all under the RDA. Walking beside him loyally was Mace, his best bud. They both might pass off easily as siblings if not for Mace's shaggy hairdo (which, frankly, he wanted to rid himself of).

"Hey, you okay?" asked Mace.

Jake exhaled audibly, wanting to roll his eyes. Obviously he meant to say, _"I don't know, really…"_ This Mace could read from the look of his hazel eyes that appeared dull today. Thus, he decided to help wheel his friend, hoping he could help diminish Jake's apparent anxiety on a subject he currently refused to share. "C'mon, lemme do it," said the blue-eyed veteran Marine.

"Jake!" somebody was yelling from behind. The mystery person caught up with Jake's wheelchair. "You're Jake right? Tom's brother."

Jake just threw him a stare. Already Mace was feeling the man's rudeness creeping on them.

"You look just like him…Sorry, I'm Norm Spellman. Went through Avatar training with him," the man said excitedly. He extended an animated hand for Jake to shake; Mace also returned the handshake in reluctance.

"The bio lab. We're gonna be spending a lot of time up here," Norm now played some sort of tour guide, almost skipping cockily in front of the two friends now.

"Hey! How you doing? Norm," he announced to the people on the right, "Avatar driver." Jake glanced at Mace, who forced back a laugh of utter disappointment regarding the biologist parading himself so early in his new career.

Without hesitation the 'tour guide' pointed toward a well-lit room containing a row of contraptions resembling MRI machines. "Here's the link; it's where we're connecting to the Avatars," blabbered Norm.

Jake & Mace were purposely hastening away from him, veering to the left instead of forward. What they saw on the left was way more interesting, anyway – cylindrical chambers with the most fascinating of biological miracles…

Dr. Max Patel stood casually, ever so ready to greet the newcomers, "Welcome to Pandora. Good to have you." He had nice pearly white teeth to add to a genuine smile.

Before their eyes, the Avatar bodies were floating somewhat gracefully in the bluish glowing chambers. Each Avatar cost $5,000,000,000 – although the salary of each Avatar Driver wouldn't pale in comparison to the price of making their synthetic body.

"Damn, they got big!" Jake exclaimed. That was his first grin of the day.

The Avatar everyone first looked at was Norm's one, much to his delight. Like his human form, the hybrid's nose had a bridge with a sharp angle. From the outside of the chamber, its eyes looked quite round; generally the face was narrow, with a small forehead. Norm rambled on about maturity of Avatar embryos before Dr. Patel cut in to tell Jake, "There's yours."

In the meantime, he also showed Mace his new body in a neighbouring chamber, to the left of Jake's.

"Wow…" breathed Mace. His eyes glistened in evident astonishment, studying the Avatar with unrestrained wonder. Jake wanted to say something to him but decided he leave his best pal to the comforts of eyeing a wonderfully crafted mass of biological life. Mace's Avatar had eyes in the shape of ellipses, plus a nicely curved 'snout' if you'd call it that. The form of its head was not as sharp as Norm's yet not as square & level as Jake's, & the skull was covered in fairly thick hair. Its mug had this earnest expression, as if deep in thought, that matched that of Mace's own personal feelings toward many things.

He was probably rendered speechless, unlike Jake who took his sweet time scrutinizing the countenance of his Avatar. Its expression was so calm, so collected, and so peaceful. Much like the last of the late proficient scientist Tom Sully. An image of Tom flashed in his twin brother's mind at that moment, only this time it wasn't silently searing his thoughts. Jake could actually smile again, "Looks like _him_."

Norm was behind him, done staring & secretly admiring his own Avatar, "Looks like _you_."

Jake's gaze was nothing but fixed on what minute details featured in the alien face in front of him. He didn't mind it not having much hair covering its skull. The nose was quite flat though distinctly feline in structure. The eyes were shaped like wide, stretched ovals, probably boasting an equally wide vision field. Overall, the creature's broad, square head seemed to cock to the side as Jake mimicked the same movement.

"This is your Avatar now, Jake," said Norm.

"Excuse me," a polite feminine voice sounded from behind Mace's Avatar's chamber, "Mind if we take a look as well?" Seemingly countless footsteps echoed from behind her.


	3. Icebreakers

"Just call me Cassie," the young woman 'remade' her entrance. She had the role of piloting Icarus II all the way to Pandora, & was elated that her old job was done with. Actually, she'd be returning to a similar job soon, only it involved the thrills of driving a body less susceptible to the Sun's heat & light.

A man of moderate height stood on her right to speak, "And we – all of us – are the crew of the Icarus II spacecraft." One would tell his eyes were brown, even in this light. There was just enough warmth in them to make it possible to call him 'friendly'. Still, he looked like he especially liked, or even enjoyed strictures. "I'm Captain Kaneda," he said without starting a handshaking session.

"We have Dr. Searle, Harvey, Corazon, Trey, & of course, Capa," Kaneda whirled his hand about to show the others his pretty large team.

Dr. Searle had shades on (in spite of the dim light), looked like a nice guy & explained his profession in medicine succinctly.

Harvey's facial muscles appeared to be perpetually tense; coupled with his hard irises, he would be an intimidating communications officer/co-captain had he been over six feet tall. Thankfully he wasn't.

In great contrast, Corazon had an eager, lively countenance. "Hi, I'm Corazon, or Cory," she grinned to the rest. Few knew she was an old friend of Dr. Grace Augustine. In the early course of Grace's career, she had left Earth to journey to Pandora where she would fill the pages of her renowned book-to-be, _Pandoran Botany_. Corazon had promised that she'd strive to once again embark on intriguing adventures in biology with her one day. It was a dream come true.

Trey was reserved, smiling for a split second, which was how he usually greeted people. Why? Because of the fear of losing any other person's regard: Trey was a child prodigy who created a computer virus that brought down millions of computers in the past. To do something less nonsensical & apply his genius beneficially, he signed up for the space program.

As for Capa, the quietest of them all, he was the physicist who was to bear the biggest burden - operating the massive star-bomb device (which the Icarus team had to assemble on Pandora) once it functioned. Besides, he was the only one who understood the operation and true scale of the star bomb. He said nothing.

"We're here to get a preview of, you know, our Avatars?" Harvey pointed out. He didn't care how vain he actually had sounded.

Mace was appalled, "So, you're all undergoing a _job change_? After all this time running your ship & dragging it here?"

"No, we're not," Capa suddenly talked, "We'll be doing what we were born to do. Except we need the sturdiest possible physique to pull everything off once we're out in space."

"We don't follow," said Jake, confused & speaking on behalf of Mace, Dr. Patel & Norm as well.

"The last time a mission like ours was carried out, Icarus I was…put simply…lost in space. That was seven years ago," Kaneda sighed, "We haven't managed to locate them till today.

"As you may have heard, the Sun's strength hasn't shown any improvement over this time span. That's led us to assume the crew onboard Icarus I didn't make it. They failed to deliver their star bomb to reignite the Sun."

"So this is…some sort of retry? To help our original planet & whatever remains there?" asked a wide-eyed Norm.

"Yeah, it is. Although the hopes seem thin," sighed Cassie.

Norm looked at her & said, "Not too late to get your hopes up." Cassie noticed a grin stretched across his face. Shyly, she returned that grin.

Dr. Searle was vocal about the subject, "Putting it short, two things: one, we have been enrolled into the Avatar program which can give us tougher bodies, & thus a higher chance of surviving when we get close to the Sun to deliver the finished bomb. Two, we're making a pit stop here to use Pandoran minerals to construct our bomb."

"I think we can comprehend," said Jake jokingly.

"So where are our Avatars?" queried Trey.

"Down this very same corridor, genius," someone new was heard entering the area. A woman with a cold expression, in a lab jacket with curly, ruddy brown hair. "Cory, I'd call it an age since we last met," she added with a humorous twist.

"Grace!" exclaimed Corazon, who trudged over to her long lost companion. They took each other's hands in warm gestures.

"Here she is the 'Cinderella of the ball'. Everyone, meet Dr. Grace Augustine," Dr. Patel began.

But Norm interjected too quickly, "Grace Augustine is a _legend_ - she's the head of the Avatar program. She wrote the book, I mean _literally_ wrote the book on Pandoran botany!" A few other irritated faces turned to him, but he was oblivious to it all. Unbeknownst to him, only Cassie was pretty amused.

Grace barked some rash orders, "Aside from Cory, just so you all know, we start work _right away_. Everybody follow the procedures to link with your Avatars within the next half hour, or else. And one more thing – you! Norm Spellman? How much link time have you logged?"

"About 520 hours," Norm replied.

"That's good. You switch places with Cory," she concluded, & stormed off.

"I guess we better be going," Jake alerted the newly assembled Avatar Drivers' team.

The eleven team members stood in a circular room with the Avatar linking machines lining its edges. Several manned neurological scanners & computers were constructed in the room's center, each screen monitoring each of the Avatar Drivers. Outside the room's perimeter were eleven gurneys with an Avatar body lying on each one, ready for the linking process.

"Listen Cory, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing for the space mission," Norm nervously said. He hadn't known how spontaneous Grace could be to switch the jobs of anyone working under her. Fortunately his link machine was right beside Corazon's so he could speak to her.

"I'm in charge – sorry – was put in charge of Icarus II's oxygen garden on the way here," Cory responded with kindness, "It isn't hard. I'll brief you on the details long before the ship finally takes off. Besides, it will take some time waiting; the stellar bomb has to be fully constructed first." Cory's new job (& Norm's initial job) was to join Grace in sampling Pandora's plant life.

"Would the garden still be an 'oxygen' garden after we leave Pandora?" asked Searle, whose link was on the other side of Corazon's. He added, "I heard the Na'vi mainly breathe carbon dioxide on this planet, so wouldn't it be the same with our new bodies?"

Corazon explained fluidly, "Yes. But remember how plants require the CO2 _to make oxygen in turn_. Pandoran flora is just about the same as Earth's. Grace says the Avatars will still breathe CO2 onboard Icarus II, but we'll require O2 to supply to the links containing our human forms."

Those who were listening to her nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay. Fine. An 'oxygen garden'," chortled Searle.

There was the sound of Grace's bossy tone while she walked through the entrance door, "Alright! I'm going in. All of you, link first, introductions later!" She pointed a finger at a few of the members, before showing Jake to his link.

"You're here," she told him, pointing to the nearest machine. "How much have you logged?"

"Zero. But we read manuals," said Jake.

"You & who?" she was curious.

"Both of us," Mace's head popped up from a neighbouring link machine.

"Tell me you're joking…," she exhaled.

"This is cool," Jake pressed & felt the bouncy texture of the link's interior, designed for the person's comfort.

Grace proceeded to help him get his legs in too. "Don't. Got this," he told her, & pulled both legs in himself.

She keyed in a sequence on a screen to operate the link, "So you just figured you'd come out here, in the most hostile environment known to man, with no training of any kind &, see how it went? What was going through your head?"

"Maybe I'm sick of doctors telling me what I can't do," muttered Jake.

"You okay?" Cassie asked Capa, a few machines away.

He seemed to stare into space for two seconds before turning to her, "I'm fine." In truth, he was worrying about the payload.

"Just relax, Capa," Kaneda reassured him from the next link.

"Biometrics are good," one of the staff at the central computers said.

"Link Three's ready," Dr. Patel informed Grace. Link Three belonged to Jake.

All eleven links were eventually shut, with the Drivers inside. Each member shut his or her eyes for the linking process.


	4. Psionics

_The concept is that every Driver is matched to his own Avatar, so that their nervous systems are in tune. Which is why they offered me the gig, because I can link with Tommy's Avatar (which is insanely expensive). - Jake's video log, about 15 minutes before the linking_

Some of them were nervous; others already found it exhilarating. Then everything blacked out…

"Jake, can you hear me? Can you hear me, Jake?" sounded a female voice.

Blurry people with blurry things in the background. A blinding light entering his pupils. Suddenly there was a clicking sound behind each of his ears - & to his amazement, his ears twitched in direction of the noise, making the sounds crisp & crystal clear. He was sure he had just felt them move involuntarily.

"Ear response normal. How you feeling, Jake?" said a woman on his left. She was clothed in a lab coat & wearing an Exopack to prevent poisoning from the CO2, hydrogen sulphide & Xenon in the room.

"Hey, guys...," Jake's words dragged on.

"Could you touch your thumbs to your four fingers?" asked the person assisting Norm.

"No problem," said a happy Norm.

Jake was quite in raptures in his new 'vessel' – he felt every fibre of his lower body - twitching & stretching as he flexed each muscle. Bubbling up inside him was a childlike elation like never before. The actions of walking, kicking, running were all but discarded memories until this moment. The Earth was the last surface his feet were literally in touch with. What is it that was happening now?

He shifted his right leg to get off the gurney. Then his left leg. The soles of each foot made contact with the cold floor, & it sent a calming surge through his nerves that rushed upward. It was really breathtaking looking down at his mobile legs.

"There are some motor reflex tests we need to run," his other assistant cautioned.

Similar events were occurring in the same long room.

Mace was in the next gurney, of course. He only had one assistant compared to Jake.

"Do you see anything, Mace?"

"A flashing light."

"Okay. Pupil reflexes good."

"Cassie?" another female assistant asked the Avatar at another gurney. She flashed a mini torchlight across the Cassie's eyes.

"I see it…though it's a little blurry..," replied Cassie.

The remaining team members also took a few minutes getting accustomed to their Avatar bodies.

"I need a mirror. I need to see what I look like," said Harvey authoritatively.

"The mirror can wait," Kaneda told his co-captain with firmness, "Let's finish the motor reflex tests first."

"You have quite menacing eyes, Harvey. That's what I can say," laughed Trey who was nearby. Harvey said nothing & didn't smile, being the person he was.

"Do you hear me, Corazon?" another voice was heard in the room.

"Yes, loud and clear," replied the Avatar.

Meanwhile, Jake's assistants were experiencing a little issue: keeping him from moving too vigorously. His tail was waving about uncontrollably too, first rubbing the gurney mattress then brushing against one of the assistants in the process. She winced while protecting herself from having her Exopack whipped out of place.

"Jake?" said a Searle, looking at Mace's excited best friend.

Jake non-intentionally whacked some equipment on a nearby stand with his tail, leaving it in a mess. He was laughing like a little boy who could just learn to stand on two feet.

"Sedate him! Sedate him!" alerted one assistant to another. Searle was watching & chuckling to make the most of that moment.

Despite the fact that there were eleven Avatars in the room, they all bore a special resemblance to their human selves. Besides, to the human eye, each one of them was, somehow, recognizable by a distinctive feature or two. If one looked hard enough, they would see how Corazon's queue (the structure behind her head resembling a long, rather ostentatious hair braid) was curled at its base compared to the other ten Avatars. Her snout slanted downwards, & her chin protruded slightly outward to make her head appear streamline from the side.

Trey had an almost perfectly rounded face, & the narrowest eyes of the bunch. Prominent cheekbones as well as angled brows enabled one to differentiate him from the group.

Whereas Harvey evidently displayed that menacing look, just as Cory said in her earlier minute description. His face was flattish, save for the triangular way his nose protruded outward.

Kaneda's Avatar was surprisingly muscle-bound especially at the shoulders. That evened out his stature that was admittedly shorter than the other male Avatars. Thus, he didn't look the least bit puny or vulnerable in comparison to them. After making himself comfortable, he twitched his short nose & calmly waited for the rest.

Cassie's features included a small-sized nose & gracefully curved forehead. Particularly for an Avatar, her eyelashes were of considerable length. She turned to look at her elegantly swishing tail in awe.

With his nicely rounded irises, Searle scanned his surroundings once he was free to get up from his flat position. To describe his facial features, his chin was a little bulky & the nose larger than that of the other Drivers. An angled smile balanced those characteristics out. But he hadn't a single thought of comparing everyone's facial complexions.

A few thin tufts of hair covered Capa's temples, distinguishing him from his teammates. He had a curious, enquiring pair of eyes seemingly having a mysterious glow. The light bounced off them in a peculiar way. His ears were pinned back in protective fashion for some reason.

"JAKE!" shouted Dr. Patel from outside. Now Jake was hobbling about desperately – the staff could well tell his legs were yearning to carry him through the room's exit. The door opened to the external Avatar compound & eventually to the Avatar Station surrounded by wildlife.

Jake paid not the smallest attention to everyone's warnings, "This is great." He grinned like an imp.

"Come on. They're gonna put you out," warned Norm.

"No kidding," alerted Mace, who slipped his legs off his own gurney.

Jake wouldn't listen – he headed clumsily for the end of the room. Actually, it wasn't difficult to pull off – he was close enough to the exit. He guffawed cheekily, making his way down the empty corridor just before busting through the door. He'd probably avow later on how miraculous it felt when your body's lower half seemed to come alive again.

Sunlight poured onto him as he left the building, revealing to him a couple of other Avatars having a basketball game. An expanse of land stretched out beyond the court; it was next to impossible how refreshing it was to the eyes. Then he ran for the greenery ahead – what looked like tranquil gardens were dotted with colourful plants.

He was running, & still increasing his speed. It was like an ecstasy to him, tasting the crisp air he breathed. He was even wondering how most people overlooked the amazing feeling of freshness he was experiencing. He nearly rammed into an RDA agent in an AMP suit, but that excited him all the more. Wishing it would never end, he ran on & on to let his soles brush the soft soil.

Norm was gasping for air after failing to catch Jake, "Has he lost his marbles? They told him to --"

A hand was on his shoulder, & a voice coolly told him, "He just got his legs back. Just chill." Norm turned to face the honest smile of Mace.

Finally, when Jake came to a stop, he let his mind wonder freely. Another time he laughed while sinking both feet into the earth beneath.

"Hey, Marine!" somebody called.

"Grace?" he asked after gazing upon another Avatar who, ironically, looked too _human_ for his taste. Everyone would recognize her because of three things: her nose was laughably shaped just like a person's, she wore a cool maroon sleeveless top that had "STANFORD" on it, & she was blunt with the words. But she walked in a vivacious style he could only admire. Was this spunky blue creature really that grumpy scientist back there?

"Well, who'd you expect, Numb Nuts? Think fast!" she tossed a fruit over to him.

She quickly added, "Motor control's looking good."

The fruit was like some 'welcome' treat; Jake relished its taste whilst pondering the many surprises he'd discover in the new Avatar world.


	5. A Blur Line

Paige Simmons. Auburn hair, radiant amber orbs for eyes. She stood atop the slope, sunlight filtered through the green canopy above. Her heart-shaped countenance was spectacular; so was the white garment she had on to add to the grace she already possessed.

A titter of white doves exploded through the bushes. Crickets chirped.

Mace knew he was in a dream. Thus, he may as well use up what time he could spend here…away from the real world - away from the very real death of his strong-spirited girlfriend. "Pai?" his voice echoed. "PAI!"

"_Mace." _Her velvet voice, again. He couldn't pull through the tunnel of his throat a word to describe her. But it was said the best forms of beauty only leave you speechless.

Upon reaching her, after swimming arduously through the forest floor, he embraced her the tightest he could. "What I am – _dead_?" he chortled. _You wish_, he told himself inside the bubble of his own mind.

"Come and see," Pai responded sweetly.

"See what?"

She bounded ahead, now heading across the meadow to the other side.

"PAI, SEE WHAT?" yelled Mace behind her.

No answer. She had vanished.

* * *

"Spit it out. What's up?" Jake shook his best friend awake.

Mace refused to talk, though. Thoughts about dreams were rather volatile, freshest in your mind for the first few minutes after you leave slumberland, but wholly evaporated in the next hour. He only stared across the room, at the blank old wooden wall.

"C'mon, we got some driving to get done," Jake concluded, tapping him on one shoulder & hauling himself up & out of bed.

_Kites_ were symbolic for Mace, however silly they may be. He'd flown them as a child, & when he first met Paige, she'd told him as if by coincidence how much she admired them. One of their first few conversations centered plainly on the wonders of kite flying. When you fly a kite, it soars so high that it's as if you hear it saying it's got nothing to lose. This marks a time in one's life whereby he experiences the highest level of pleasure.

But what about when (or if) a kite's string snaps abruptly? The whole pleasure contained in the kite simply ceases to exist. It is swallowed somewhere in the sky, & you don't know where it has wound up or whether it _has_ wound up someplace else. & it can hurt a child, in some way, when (or if) he loses his kite to a giant spread of blue sky.


End file.
